Music &Events
Upcoming Events
Serious Sam Barrett
Sunday 24th March 8.30 pm
Live: Upstairs at the Commercial
Sam is a hard touring, folk and country singer/songwriter from Otley, West Yorkshire. Playing honest, heartfelt self penned and traditional songs on 12 string guitar and banjo, he began performing in and around Leeds in 2004, with word spreading further afield with the release of his 2009 debut album Close To Home. He has since toured the US widely, sharing stages with the likes of Katherine Tickell, Lucero, The Young Un’s, and Frank Fairfield.
This evening he will be showcasing his new release A Drop Of The Morning Dew, so we are in for a treat...
“The sustained brilliance of this playing is really something to behold.” Bob Harris, BBC Radio 2
“There’s Some real swagger to this” Mark Radcliffe BBC Radio
“Songs that rattle with the ghosts of Appalachian folk, and southern blues, yet sound emphatically English.” Uncut Magazine
Price £10
Advance Booking Demento Events Site
A Demento66 presentation
Level Up Your Sunday!
Not just a lovely Sunday roast from
Sarah's Kitchen:
but add some mellow sounds from
Matt & Bob
last Sunday of each month
from 4 p.m
to ease you into our
Famous Meat Draw!
from 6.30 p.m.
Daniel Rachel
Too Much Too Young...
Too Much Too Young...
Thursday 11th April - 8.30 pm
Book Launch: Upstairs at the Commercial
Times/Sunday Times Book Of The Year
Times/Sunday Times Book Of The Year
Too Much Too Young is recognised as the definitive story of 2 tone records. The phenomemon that was 2 Tone exploded into the national consciousness in 1989 as records by The Specials, The Selecter, Madness, The Beat, and The Bodysnatchers burst onto the charts and a youth movement was born. 2 Tone was black and white: a multi-racial force of British and Caribbean island musicians singing about social issues, racism, class and gender struggles. It spoke of injustices in society and took fight against right wing extremism. The music of 2 Tone was exuberant: white youth learning to dance to the infectious rhythm of ska and reggae; and crossed with a punk attitude to create an original hybrid.
"An essential read…fasten your seat belts, rudies" MOJO
"Comprehensive, cautionary but nonetheless celebratory saga of the 2 Tone label" PAULINE BLACK
"A brilliant, insightful book & nothing short of definitive"
RECORD COLLECTOR
Prices TBF (Advance) TBF (On the door)
Advance Booking link here : Not Yet Available
A Demento66 presentation
Introducing...
Sat 20th April - 8.30 pm
Live Music - Upstairs at the Commercial
The Horse Puppets are an indie/folk band from Manchester, who under their previous identity of ‘The Retrosettes’ appeared in the opening scene of the film 'Youth', joining Michael Caine and Harvey Keitel in the first shots of the movie. They subsequently toured the continent with Simply Red, followed by a record release which became album of the week on multiple German radio stations.
Following a their 2019 self produced album "Sorry For The Inconvenience" being featured on Radio 6 Music, they have developed a more acoustic mix of violin, double bass, piano, guitar and large vocal harmonies to their music. Their newest songs ‘Where I Want To Be’ and ‘Make It Better’ have been described as "The Lumineers meet Fleetwood Mac"
“Love that whole swampy Dr John/Alabama 3 groove thing” - Tom Robinson, Fresh on the net & BBC 6 music
"A smooth and atmospheric indie-rock groove, with hints of Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds” - Mystic Sons Blog
Prices TBF (Advance) TBF (On the door)
Advance Booking link here : Not Yet Available
A Demento66 presentation
Captain Of The Lost Waves
Saturday 11th May - 8.30 pm
Live Music: Upstairs at the Commercial
Record of The Year Nominee 2022
Record of The Year Nominee 2022
This is going to be a very interesting evening. The performance you are to experience will involve rock, progressive, and experimental music along with nu vaudeville.. apparently a genre based on 20th century performance entertainment consisting of specialty acts, such as burlesque comedy as well as songs and dancing. His music takes inspiration from various performers from different decades, such as Kate Bush, Genesis, Tears For Fears, Talking Heads, The Zombies and Brian Eno.
The Captains album released in 2022 "Mysterium Tremendum" received numerous glowing reviews from progressive rock to folk music publications, with nominations for Album Of The Year in Rock & Reel magazine and the ReZonatZ blog. He describes his music as "Nu Vaudeville meets Folk Opera" - which sounds intriguing enough to find out what that means, doesn't it ?
"The Captain is a one-off, an enigma and a compelling musical force of nature" Rock & Reel Magazine
"Completely Extraordinary" Tom Robinson (Radio6 Music)
"Watching his show is a life altering experience..."
The Huffington Post
Prices TBF (Advance) TBF (On the door)
Advance Booking link here : Not Yet Available
A Demento66 presentation
Level Up Your Sunday!
Not just a lovely Sunday roast from
Sarah's Kitchen:
but add some mellow sounds from
Matt & Bob
last Sunday of each month
from 4 p.m
to ease you into our
Famous Meat Draw!
from 6.30 p.m.
Dave Haslam
Thursday 23rd May - 8.00 pm
Book Launch & Signing
Dave Haslam is a former resident DJ at the Haçienda, a broadcaster, and the author of several books. This evening he'll be showcasing the eighth and final short-format book in his critically acclaimed Art Decades serie. These books explore a variety of subjects rooted in cities, in recent history and lived experience: and his love for music, literature, and art.
In ‘Strawberry and the Big Apple’, Dave Haslam explains a seemingly unlikely scenario: the day in November 1980 when Grace Jones – a spectacularly glamorous jet-setting singer living and working in Paris and New York, and recording in the Bahamas – pays a visit to Stockport.!?!! - Her quest that day? To meet A Certain Ratio, a group then signed to Factory Records.
This tale of worlds colliding includes Tony Wilson’s fascination with New York; an intriguing portrait of the early life of Grace Jones; a twist in the tale, and more than a couple of mysteries; plus walk-on parts for 10cc, Robert De Niro and Jerry Hall. This will be a very interesting evening...
Ticket Price: TBF
Advance ticket link : Not yet available
A Demento66 presentation
Astrid
Saturday September 21st - 8.30 pm
Live Music Upstairs at the Commercial
Growing up in Shetland, Astrid Williamson enjoyed playing the piano from an early age and The Shetland Folk Festival provided early experience both of local music tradition and stagecraft.[ She went on to graduate from the Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Drama as a classically trained pianist.
She has released nine solo albums in all, recorded in various locations from Marseille to New Orleans, and Abbey Road to her Mum's house in Hadfield. (well, one bit of piano, anyway)
Her performance will doubtless include tracks from her latest release Into The Mountain (2022) featuring her atmospheric and sometimes ethereal vocal style, evocative lyrics and polished musicianship on guitar and piano.
“...honed songwriting, textures, storytelling, and above all, a heaven-bound and singular voice..." Popmatters
"Will it (Latest Album) change the world? Probably not, but it could change yours, at least for the duration you lie within the cocoon it offers" Seuras Og - At The Barrier
Prices TBF (Advance) TBF (On the door)
Advance Booking link here Not Yet On Sale
A Demento66 presentation
Level Up Your Sunday!
Not just a lovely Sunday roast from
Sarah's Kitchen:
but add some mellow sounds from
Matt & Bob
last Sunday of each month
from 4 p.m
to ease you into our
Famous Meat Draw!
from 6.30 p.m.
Tom Blackwell
Saturday 9th November 8.00 pm
Live Upstairs at the Commercial
A welcome return for Tom Blackwell, following his appearance here last November! Tom has performed in many of the small venues across the North of England for over a decade. Anyone seeing his performances will have witnessed a truly sublime singer-songwriter distilling his blues, folk, soul and gospel influences into original songs punctuated with mournful harmonica and emphasised with expressive guitar.
In 2018 Blackwell released the first of his Memphis series of albums. The recordings are minimal, unadorned. There is nothing wasted or unnecessary cluttering the sound, just emotive vocals framed by quiet guitar and harmonica.
'Wonderful, heartfelt music' - Bob Harris (BBC Radio)
“A talent as big as the sky” R2 Magazine
Entry TBF in advance
Tickets available here - Not Yet On Sale
A Demento66 presentation
Mik Artistik's Ego Trip
Saturday December 20th - 8.00 pm
Live Music Upstairs at the Commercial
Back for a third visit following his sell out concerts last year, hugely popular Leeds-based trio Mik Artistik’s Ego Trip are well known for their unique live performances. Their madcap antics deem every performance as not just a gig, but a truly momentous event - so much so that they have been entertaining the Glastonbury Festival for the last 12 years, along with many other major UK festivals, including Boomtown Fair, Latitude, and Wilderness. Not To Be Missed! :-) Early Booking Recommended
“[Sweet Leaf of The North] my favourite song of the last decade” Iggy Pop.
“Best live band I have seen all summer” Gideon Coe
“Inspirational” John Cooper Clarke
Prices TBF (Advance) TBF (On the door)
Advance Booking link here Not Yet On Sale
A Demento66 presentation